Hi,

I try to use Cairo-dock instead of Gnome-shell. For this cairo-dock provides
packages that allows a Gnome + Cairo-dock session. These packages work
with Ubuntu. I discuss the problem with the developer of Cairo-dock at
this address http://glx-dock.org/bg_topic.php?t=6131 (in french), it
seems there is a problem with Debian gnome-session package.

The first problem is that the command "Exec=" of file "/usr/share/xsessions/*.desktop"
does not support the commands with arguments. The "cairo-dock.desktop" file
contains the line "Exec=gnome-session --session=cairo-dock". It does not
work with Debian Testing, but works well with Ubuntu. To work around
the bug, I wrote a small shell script that contains the line
"gnome-session --session=cairo-dock" and in the "Exec=" line I replaced
the call to gnome-session by a call shell script.

With this, the session starts well but cairo-dock is not running, even
if it appears in gnome-session-properties. For cairo-dock is started
and running properly, I have to start it manually from a shell.

I put the following file in the folder "~/.config/autostart/" but cairo-dock
is not running.

$ cat cairo-dock.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Cairo-Dock (Gnome + Effects)
Comment=This session logs you into GNOME with Cairo-Dock and with graphical effects.
Exec=/usr/bin/cairo-dock
Icon=
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Categories=


Regards.

Hi,

I have a better identified the two problems.

The first problem is that the line "Exec=" of file
"/usr/share/xsessions/*.desktop" does not support the command with
arguments. However, the gnome-session command accepts arguments. Ubuntu
version corrects this problem.

The second problem is more strange.

In gnome-session-properties in the "Options" tab, when you check
"Remember automatically applications running at logout" to logout it
creates files in the folder "~/.config/gnome-session/saved-session/".

In the case where there was an terminal open when logout, it creates a
file called "cairo-dock.desktop" in the folder
"~/.config/gnome-session/saved-session/". This file contains:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Terminal
Comment=Use the command line
TryExec=gnome-terminal
Exec=gnome-terminal --sm-client-id
10b640906f608ec80d135297575769740300000019930029 --sm-client-state-file
/home/fredo/.config/session-state/gnome-terminal-1352976798.desktop
Icon=utilities-terminal
Type=Application
X-GNOME-DocPath=gnome-terminal/index.html
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Bugzilla=GNOME
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Product=gnome-terminal
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Component=BugBuddyBugs
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Version=3.4.1.1
Categories=GNOME;GTK;Utility;TerminalEmulator;
StartupNotify=true
OnlyShowIn=GNOME;
X-GNOME-Autostart-startup-id=10b640906f608ec80d135297575769740300000019930029
X-GNOME-Autostart-discard-exec=/bin/rm -rf
/home/fredo/.config/session-state/gnome-terminal-1352976798.desktop


This is the file
"~/.config/gnome-session/saved-session/cairo-dock.desktop" is causing
the problem, if one removes before connecting cairo-dock is started.

I do not understand why the terminal is associated with a session file
named "cairo-dock.desktop".

I tried to close the session with just Firefox launched without a
terminal, and the session file for Firefox called
"1049abe3421476eca2135297964752518300000058440031.desktop", it does not
interfere with cairo-dock.



Regards.

Hey Frederic,

this is an old bug.

Could you please still reproduce this issue with newer gnome-session
version like 3.4.2.1-4 or 3.8.4-4 ?

thanks.
regards,
althaser

Dear Althaser,

This bug is still there with the current gnome-session version in sid
(3.14.0-2).

FYI, the bug #744693 (opened on cairo-dock) is also tracking this issue.


Xavier

reassign 692987 x11-common
forcemerge 653327 692987
thanks

After searching for a solution, it seems it is linked to an existing
bug on the x11-common package (#653327) that prevent a session to be
started if the Exec command has additional parameters.

The issue is not in the gnome-session package, but in the x11-common
one.

Xavier

[...]

This patch appears to have been applied a while ago:

https://salsa.debian.org/xorg-team/xorg/-/commit/4e760f217643d8419d4d24a3ebb2b61ac74cf990